NEW ALBANY (OH)
WSYX-TV, ABC-6 [Columbus OH]
October 1, 2026
By Erin Simonek
Viewer discretion: This story includes depictions of sexual assault.
A child sexual abuse psychologist said she believes Gary Tom Keesee Jr.’s four alleged victims experienced “compelling, specific, and detailed” trauma from their alleged exposure to Keesee Jr.
“The disclosures were clinically significant and consistent,” said Carrie Schnirring, with Lighthouse Family Center, during her expert testimony Thursday.
Schnirring is an expert in psychological assessment and has conducted over 2,500 evaluations with children experiencing sexual trauma and testified in sex abuse trials more than 30 times after evaluating the victims.
MORE | Complete coverage of the case
This comes as victim and witness testimony continued Thursday in the trial against Keesee. He is facing 32 charges, including 13 counts of rape. Prosecutors allege he sexually assaulted four minor girls over the course of nine years.
Prosecutors say all four women were members of the Faith Life Church in New Albany, of which Keesee’s parents are the lead pastors. Keesee himself was a leader at the church but resigned amid this investigation.
Schnirring reviewed three police reports in the case against Keesee and listened to victim recordings detailing the abuse disclosures.
The most important aspects I am looking for is regarding details and the quality of details that the victim is able to share,” Schnirring said. “After hearing their experience, I would recommend counseling and they would qualify.
The expert noted the victims were able to provide significant detail of their trauma.
The expert noted the closeness between all victims by attending Faith Life Church, offering Keesee’s “access” to the victims and “disbelief” from family members. She noted the majority of perpetrators are within their “circle of trust” during her 25 years of expert experience.
The alleged abuse occurred between 2001-2012. The first victim did not come forward regarding the alleged abuse until 2024.
“There is consensus in the research that most childhood abuse disclosures are delayed,” Carrie said. “Sixty percent of children wait until they’re an adult to tell of what has happened. Some of it relates to grooming, parental reaction, and the number one predictor in the research is the reaction of the primary caregiver or mother.”
The defense questioned why the victims’ stories seemed to line up.
I was able to rule out atelier motive because I was impressed the amount of information they were reluctant to share to investigators,” Schnirring added.
Thursday witness testimony
The first witness to testify Thursday said she often babysat Keesee during childhood. She said she did not allow him to be behind closed doors with any girls also being babysat.
She said Keesee was married for several years before getting divorced around 2014.
One of the alleged victims informed this witness about her “sexual assault” in 2023.
The woman worked for the church but decided to step back in 2025 and move out of state in 2026.
Defense Attorney Sam Shamansky questioned why she didn’t report the alleged abuse to authorities when alleged victims spoke with her.
She said the allegations have divided the Keesee family for several years.
Thursday victim testimony
The second alleged victim of the trial took the stand Thursday afternoon.
She chose to come forward about the alleged abuse in December 2024. She claims the abuse happened dozens of times when she was 6 until 16.
The first thing I remember is that we were at the Keesees’ house and while I was chasing a friend, I ran into Tom,” the woman said. “He then pulled down his pants and showed me his penis.
The woman sat stoically and appeared somber while testifying. She did not look at Keesee.
She then said she was at a party and children were playing games.
“Tom was the jailer in the game and if you got caught you went to ‘jail’, in a closet, with Tom,” the woman said. “He touched my breasts and I remember thinking if this happens to everyone.”
The woman then said she feared Tom would touch her again. She testified the abuse happened even as Tom became an adult.
When I was older, and Tom was married, at 5 in the morning, he asks me to help him with the shower,” she said. “I help him turn on the shower. I turn around and his pants are down. He proceeded to take my hands and put it on his penis. He rubbed his penis on my leg. I then snapped out of it and went to my room.
He then became emotional and apologetic and told the alleged victim it would not happen again. He also told her he would tell his wife and parents about the encounter. She said she was in constant physical and mental pain after the abuse occurred.
Another encounter detailed how he touched her breast when she was sleeping. Another encounter detailed he touched her vaginal area under her clothing. Another encounter detailed Keesee picked her up from school and sexually assaulted her. The alleged victim detailed several more similar encounters.
One time he tried to kiss me after kissing my neck and face,” the alleged victim said. “I tucked in my lips because I didn’t want that to be my first kiss ever.
The woman said when she was a young teen, her boyfriend encouraged her to tell her father about the years of abuse. She testified her parents never brought the matter to authorities and continued a close relationship with the Keesee family.
They told me, ‘He is part of the family and you need to forgive and forget,” the woman said.
Keesee’s defense questioned why she and other alleged victims discussed their experiences together. One of the victims was surprised another victim recorded a phone call discussing the abuse that was later used as evidence in the case.
ABC 6 is refraining to detail additional testimony from the accuser to protect her identity.
The remaining two alleged victims are set to take the stand in the coming days.